What makes stabilized oxygen work?
The so called “stabilised oxygen” products are actually salts of oxygen diluted in water. These safe as directed, yet potent oxidizers, sometimes contain various proprietary additives to enhance their effectiveness. They are essentially a formulation mixing a solution of mildly buffered sodium chlorite with deionized water. These products are weakly buffered to an alkaline Ph of around 12%, but unlike highly buffered drain cleaners or other strong alkaline solutions, they immediately loose their alkalinity upon contact with any substance that is of a lower Ph. Bacteria, viruses, the acid mantle of human skin, and the hydrochloric acid in our stomachs all react to immediately render their alkalinity harmless to humans. They are generally colourless and odourless, but a drop rubbed between the fingertips will drop the Ph and release the characteristic chlorine dioxide odour. Many people mistake this odour for the smell of bleach, but it isn’t. If the wrong analytical tests are performed
